Breast cancer is “the leading cancer caused by alcohol” and too many women ignore it, WHO warns

“21% of women in 14 European countries are aware of the link between alcohol consumption and the risk of developing breast cancer. Awareness is even lower among men: only 10% know about this link,” WHO-Europe, which brings together 53 countries and extends to Central Asia, said in a press release.

On the old continent, 600,000 cases of breast cancer were reported in 2022.

“For women in Europe, breast cancer is the leading alcohol-attributable cancer, representing 66% of all alcohol-attributable cancer cases,” the UN agency noted.

Even with moderate consumption

Alcohol specifically affects estrogen levels which play a role in the development of many breast cancers.

Even relatively small amounts of alcohol can increase the risk, the WHO warns.

“More than half of alcohol-attributable breast cancer cases in Europe are not due to excessive alcohol consumption, and a third of new annual cases are due to consumption of two small glasses of wine per day,” he says.

It is therefore important to change alcohol consumption habits across Europe, which have not changed since 2010, through new public policies, the organization said.

Europe on the front line

To prevent cancer risk factors, “WHO/Europe urges countries to place clear warnings on alcoholic products, as they already do for tobacco products,” argues Hans Kluge, the organization’s regional director. Because Europe “has the highest levels of alcohol consumption in the world – one in ten deaths are alcohol-related – reducing or limiting our consumption is an excellent starting point for reducing the harmful effects”.